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City Snapshot: City of Tolleson
Despite an economic downturn that has placed many local municipal governments in the unfortunate position of cutting staff and services, the City of Tolleson
has continued to prosper. "It's still happening in Tolleson!" proclaimed Mayor Adolfo Gámez. "Our community is now reaping the benefits sown from a well thought
out long term community development strategy. At this time, both municipal and commercial projects are pressing forward in our community, reflecting of our
economic stability and long term sustainability."
First, the Tolleson Police Department & Municipal Courts Building broke ground on January 26, 2010, at its future site located at 8350 W. Van Buren Street.
The Police Department portion of the building will be a 24/7 operation with all essential police functions centrally located in the building. The new building
will be approximately 4 times the current space used by the Tolleson Police Department. The Tolleson Municipal Court will share a portion of the facility and
accommodate approximately 50 persons, tripling the current size of the present court room.
Sufficient space allows the addition of a jury deliberation room and
an attorney-client meeting room. Tolleson Police Chief Larry Rodriguez said, "This facility will most certainly improve our ability to provide police and court
services to our community." The Police Department and Municipal Court are scheduled to move into the new building in November 2010.
Equally notable, the new Tolleson Fire Station is currently under construction. Upon completion in October 2010, the new 17,470-square-foot facility will be a
four-bay station, which will also house fire administrative offices. "This station should be adequate to meet the needs of the community and fire fighters now
and into the future," said Tolleson Fire Chief George Good. Both the police & court facility and the fire station have been designed to be sustainable buildings
at a LEED Silver certification. "This construction methodology will minimize the impact to our environment both during construction and when it is
operational," said City Manager Reyes Medrano, Jr. "City Council has decided that all municipal facilities will be constructed in such a manner so as to
consider and preserve the impact to the natural resources for present and future generations. Both buildings will be built in compliance with that
directive."
In addition to these municipal projects, the Tolleson City Council recently kicked off downtown redevelopment efforts by approving a development agreement and
land lease with a local developer to build a 45,000-square-foot retail center. It will be located on a 5.5 acre piece of city owned property on the northeast
corner of 91st Avenue and Van Buren Street. The center, to be developed by SoMo Development, will be known as La Entrada and will break ground no later than
May 2010; it should be completed within a year. The project is being designed with Santa Barbara mission style architecture that will be in keeping with
Tolleson's Hispanic heritage and have a timeless appearance as well. "We are very excited about this project," City Manager Reyes Medrano, Jr. said. "We are
happy to deliver the Hispanic grocer that our community has long-awaited. Additionally, La Entrada will provide new retail shopping opportunities for our
community that has long been underserved by retail. I feel that the amphitheater will not only activate the center but will also create an attraction that will
contribute to making our downtown a destination where people can come to enjoy Hispanic culture. I am confident that this project will serve as a catalyst for
the future development of our downtown central business district."
The Tolleson City Council also recently authorized city staff to partner with the owners of Pete's Fish & Chips to demolish their existing building. A new
and expanded restaurant will be constructed across their existing property and the current Pride Park site at 93rd Avenue and Van Buren Street. The owners of
Pete's Fish & Chips were selected by Council to purchase and develop this city owned property, east of their current location, after responding to a request
for statements of interest. The project will result in a "Super Pete's Fish & Chips" that will be designed in the same architectural style as the forthcoming
La Entrada retail center. "Together these two projects will represent a quantum leap for our downtown." City Manager Reyes Medrano, Jr. said. "Pete's Fish
& Chips is an iconic business that has been embraced by our community for decades. I am pleased that Pete's has taken a leadership role in the redevelopment
of our downtown."
Finally, in July 2010, the City of Tolleson will once again welcome a Fortune 500 company to the community. Construction is currently underway on a 467,000
square-foot Home Depot distribution center that will create approximately 350 new jobs. Located at Washington Street and 91st Avenue, this major employer will
serve as a driver for businesses in the downtown central business district. "We are proud that in our current economy we still have been able to bring new
development and new jobs to our city," said Paul Magallanez, Tolleson's Economic Development Director. "Collectively, these projects bode well for the future
of our community" reiterated Mayor Adolfo Gámez. "Even in a down economy, things are looking up in Tolleson!"
For more information on the City of Tolleson, visit www.tollesonaz.org.
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League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org
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